Return to the Wild (Small Wonder!)

[Anonymous]

"Perhaps they will be." No. No way was he going to give her that much freedom. He had trust for her, but still, he knew why she was being like this. It was because she wanted to get free. Hrm. That disturbed him. Was she being nice because she wanted to be free, or because she wanted to be his friend? That was the trouble with her. After all, he was holding the cards, and was the dirty heathen who had captured her. Gods. He still could remember some of those Lumenari hunters calling him that, as if it were his name.

"Hey, I've seen many things but fire dancing isn't something I really looked into." He told her with a shrug. Hrm. He wanted it to be night so he could let her go and do the fire dancing for him. If she tried to run, she wouldn't be strong without the light of the sun. Would she? The light of the moon WAS the light of the Sun after all...just different. No matter.

"You'll get it. You just need a better teacher for magic." He could teach her. His magic probably wasn't different from her magic by that much. It still meant drawing in the power around them and in them to project their will out into reality. Something along those lines hopefully. If it was, then he could teach her to be a great mage...

"Alright. Deal it is." He wasn't sure what part he played in the deal, but he knew that he would have to let her go free to some degree for that sort of thing. Hrm. He could worry about it later. Maybe...she wouldn't try to run?

He watched her as she started to pace, started to move back and forth. Slowly he got to his feet and moved to her, placing a hand on her left shoulder softly.

"Stay still." He focused upon her carefully, his eyes narrowing slightly. It may have looked threatening to her, but actually, he was doing something nice. His energy had risen quite a lot, which meant he could do something for her.

He was fixing her clothes, where he had ripped. If he got back to full strength, he might have been able to even fix the scars on her back more, make them much less visible. Not now though, he would need to rest to do that.

"You're clothes have been mended." He said to her with a smile, letting go of her shoulder quickly now. He didn't know why he felt like doing that, but it had felt quite nice helping her out. Though...he still could remember when he cut her and whipped her. That made him feel exhilarated and quite good. Such a conflict that swelled within him.

[Rhindeer]

It was true that the Solisi were not quite fully aware of how their solar system worked. They didn't understand that the moon was simply a rock that reflected the light of the sun, and Niamh had never noticed any impact the moon's light had on her. After all, most nights she just stayed indoors, especially when the moon was full, and even when she was outdoors it was only for a little while. It took an hour or so before she actually started to feel the effects that darkness had on her, so, overall, she'd just never noticed. No, to her and the Solisi, the moon was a false idol that shone with a false light to try and lead people away from Mother Sun. There was little worse than a moon worshipper...save Drow...and to even so much as possess water magic was grounds for being burned in Solis.

After all, it was the moon that controlled the tides.

"Oh, fine, you're forgiven, then." For the fire dancing bit, not for anything else. "I just can't even imagine what it's like to live for over a thousand years, y'know. Seems like after that long you'd know everything." She gave him a wry look, half joking and half serious. After all...she was only eighteen. Er, yeah. A thousand years was pretty much a number that didn't even exist to her. It was huge, and she couldn't even imagine all the things you could see or do in that amount of time.

Yeesh...it always had felt like she somehow ended up being the youngest amongst her friends--and she wound up being the youngest among her band--but this was a bit ridiculous.

However, then Nexus went and did it. He called her power "magic".

Niamh gave a subtle twitch and thrust her hands into her pockets uneasily, but she managed to keep it at that. She couldn't get annoyed or angry, not at this point. Instead, she would just patiently correct him in as non-confrontational a way as she could. Ergh, this was hard. The sad thing was, though, that Nexus was exactly right. That was exactly how her power worked. "You mean my gifts?" There, that sounded all right. "Yeah, I do. I need to practice more, too...I started slacking on that, and I shouldn't have. When I first joined the Lumenari and got my staff, that thing is actually pretty special. It also works as a channel for my power, magnifying it. I...guess it started to become a crutch..." she admitted with a frown, still pacing restlessly back and forth.

She continued to walk, giving a subtle nod when Nexus agreed to the deal, and she didn't even hear him get up or anything until his hand was on her shoulder, her back having been turned to him at that moment. She actually flinched, a shock going through her, and her breath caught. But she didn't turn, instead freezing up completely when he told her to stay still. What was he...? Niamh's body was tense as she glanced back at him nervously, indeed alarmed by the way his eyes had narrowed. Yes, it was pretty obvious that he still frightened her, that she still found him unpredictable, that she didn't want to be touched.

But then he let go and explained what he had done, and...Niamh just about wilted in relief. She pulled a hand free of a pocket and reached back to feel at her shirt and, just like he said, it was no longer torn, and a quick glance down at her breeches showed they were all patched up, too.

Letting out a long breath and relaxing her muscles, she let out a nervous, yet relieved, chuckle and passed a hand through her hair. "Wow...heh...thanks again. Didn't even know you could do that...oh, wait, right, you make clothes." For a second she'd forgotten that, but her mind had also gone blank for a moment back there. "Well...that's certainly handy. Hey, I guess while we're on the subject of patching stuff up...know any tricks for getting dirt and blood and stuff off? I don't think I could fool even myself into thinking I smell nice right now, and I doubt this place has good ventilation." She gave another soft laugh, this one not so nervous. She wasn't really serious--well, she was pretty sure she smelled bad, but she didn't really care. Rather, she was just trying to cover up that brief moment of panic she'd had just then.

[Anonymous]

Nexus could forgive the people for being ignorant of how the solar system worked. After all, he had only found out a few hundred years ago by a few people who called themselves scientists. People who worked at studying the physical world, instead of the mystical or theological world. Quite interesting work to say the least, but he could barely understand half the stuff they talked about.

"It gets lonely, and my thoughts can be a very boring thing to be left alone with...Heh. I barely know anything at this point. I don't study too hard when I go to realms. Just skim the surface of some topics, and go into depth about others." He told her with a small laugh and a shrug. Still, he couldn't wait to see that fire dancing of hers.

"Gifts? Yes they could be called gifsts." After all, not everyone could use magic, or wanted to use magic, so the people that could would be called gifted no doubt. He smiled though at her as she as she explained her lack of powers and the like. Yes, he could teach her. If a staff could magnify her 'gift' than it was just as his magic.

After patching up her clothes she thanked him even, then asked him something. He nodded actually to that.

"Funny you should mention that. Hold still." He put his hand on her shoulder once more and began to weave something around her. It was a strange multicoloured string of blue, red, and streaked with grey. He wrapped it from her shoulders to feet. It did of course constrict her for a moment, which worried him.

"This is a little trick. It's going to clean you, so be very still. As it's going to get warm, wet, and windy." He told her as he stepped back. Then, it happened. It seemed like warm water began to circle around her body. It started from her shoulders, moving downwards to her feet. However, a rather warm strong wind seemed to follow the soaking warm water, drying her clothes and body afterwards. The whole process took maybe two minutes, as it was thorough, but finally there was just a strange wind at her feet that had globs of water in it. He flicked his wrist irritably, the entire mess of dirty water and warm wind splattered against a wall with little more then a gentle noise.

"And there we have it, one express wash without taking your clothes off or having to dry yourself off with a towel." He told her as he eyed her critically. Yep. Her clothes seemed to be much cleaner now, and the bit of smell from her was pretty much gone.

"Though, you know...I would like to teach you how to use your gift better. I don't if you had a teacher or not, but I can help to make that gift truly strong." He really didn't understand how he was so nice. He patched her clothes up, healed her, fed her, made light shine on her, cleaned her as well, and now was offering to teach her how to use her 'gift' more. Maybe he truly was a lonely person and valued the idea of friendship. That was mostly the truth too, as he wanted to have a friend...but he also didn't want to let her go until he understood himself and her better.

[Rhindeer]

Realms, plural? So he'd been to more than one? And here he said he barely knew anything. She had been about to ask him about that, but that thought was put on hold for the time being.

Niamh didn't flinch this time when he put his hand on her shoulder, just gave him a strange look, one eyebrow raised. Wait...was he serious? She hadn't been serious herself. Well, she'd been serious about not smelling like roses considering she'd been muddied and bloodied up, and it was true that having dried blood plastered to your skin wasn't the most comfortable of feelings, but other than that...

But before she could say anything, she was being wrapped up in more string, and she held her breath. She never did like how that felt, and after everything that had happened, that sensation did bring back some rather unpleasant memories. However, she only nodded at Nexus' explanation, relaxing a little and allowing herself to breathe again. Yeah, he was serious, and she was in no position to move, though she wondered how the hell this was going to work.

She learned that soon enough. And what he did made her gasp.

It wasn't that it was warm, wet, and windy, and it wasn't that it felt bad or that it hurt her or anything--it felt like a nice, warm bath, quite honestly, even if the strange sensation did take her by surprise--Nexus might easily interpret the sound that way. It was mostly just that he was using water magic on her, something that was expressly forbidden in Solis, something that was looked on with disgust. It was kind of ironic, really, considering that Solis was a desert kingdom and that in most such communities, to have water magic would be considered a gift and a godsend, but not in Solis. The moon controlled water. So anyone that controlled water had to be associated with the moon. It was truly backwards, but that was simply what her people believed.

Yet Niamh surprised herself. She held her tongue instead of demanding that he stopped like she wanted to, instead clenching her fists at her sides and enduring the whole thing, trying not to enjoy the sense of cleanliness and warmth that followed. Part of the reason was because Nexus did hold all the cards and she was still at his mercy--she didn't want to anger him. But another reason was because, yet again, she was simply confused, and this time not because he was helping her. He had power over light and, according to his own words as he'd mentioned "fireballs", he had power over fire. Gifts from Mother Sun Herself. Yet he also had water magic. How...did that work? It was true that Niamh hadn't yet been exposed to much of the world outside her own people, but...that just didn't seem even possible.

She was gaping up at Nexus as he cast the dirty water away toward a wall, her clothes and body quite dry and clean, and she wasn't even able to form words until he spoke of teaching her how to use her gifts.

In a split second, Niamh had snapped back to the present with a jolt, back straightening and hands returning to her pockets. Oh Light. She bowed her head a little, studying the ground intently.

"Uh...I don't think...that would work," Niamh began, trying to find the right words. She never had been the most tactful of people. Usually she just spoke what was on her mind, especially where heathens were involved. But the situation required tact and a lot of it. She nudged the toe of her boot against the ground, thinking. "That would be...well...I couldn't agree to that, I'm sorry. You see...ah, Light, I don't know how you do it, but you use water magic, too. That's forbidden where I come from." She shook her head and started to pace again, chewing on her lip. Crap. This was bad. And he was probably just being "nice" again, which made it worse, because she wanted to stay on his good side. He wasn't half bad when he was being like this, aside from all the obvious things. Just...a heathen.

Finally, she stopped and looked back up at him, a somewhat pained look on her face, conflicted. She was seriously worried about offending him, or rather what the consequences of that could be. "I'm really sorry, but I can't accept that kind of instruction from, well...from someone who doesn't believe." Being taught how to use your gifts by an unbeliever...yeah, that was more than just a little bad. Hands no longer in her pockets, she was fidgiting with the hem of her shirt instead. "Like I said, I'm sorry...but I've already blasphemed more than I would have liked to in my entire life. A lot of it is forgiveable...I think...but if I agreed to that...that's grounds for burning. Mother Sun sees everything and rules Solis in the flesh as the Living Sun. I just can't agree to that, I can't take that risk. Do you...understand?"

She didn't know how much Mother Sun saw, actually, but...it never hurt to be paranoid.

[Anonymous]

He was surprised at her, that she hadn't flinched, and he was rather proud of her at that point. He was worried that she might flinch or start freaking out at that point but...it didn't seem to happen. That was nice to see her not freak out at this point.

He had noted something though, she had clenched her hands. Hm. Was that because of being tie dup like that, or...something else. Meh, he would figure it all out. He was smiling at her though as she studied herself after he had been done, and then the ground. Why the ground?

"Oh?" She did explain though apparently, and he just chuckled lightly. Oh this was interesting. She was still...well she was superstitious and bound to her ways. He wondered if he could change this.

"We're going to go over this very carefully Niamh. I don't know if Mother Sun exists. I know in my realm, Arkhanan the Father God was locked in our sun for ten million years. As it stands, you can blaspheme all you want in life. Your Goddess won't burn you while your alive. You know who will though? Your friends. Your family. Not the Sun." He explained to her, his voice soft and calm as he stood there watching her.

"Magic, or your gift as you call it, is a simple process. You see, you draw in energy from around you, and from yourself, bringing it to sit into your body, and then you project your will into the world. YOU have been taught to use fire." He told her as he stepped back. Slowly the light began to glow brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire warehouse.

"You see? I control light. I can control fire." He told her as he created a fiery whip that held a small burning fireball on the end of it.

"I can control water." The whip slowly changed itself into a long strand of water which dripped onto the ground.

"I can control earth." He said to her as the whip began earthen brown and he carefully placed it on the ground. Slowly, the ground began to rise upwards into a bump of sorts.

"I can control the darkness." The bump disapepared, leaving a black whip. He picked it up and cracked it upwards. Slowly the room began to get darker until it was as light as it had been.

"Tell you what my poppet. We'll make a deal alright. If I show you that YOU personally can do all of this too, then how about you stay with me for another three days. If it turns out that I can't help you to do any of this, I will cut you free, give you back all your weapons, and I will tie myself up and let you take me to the Lumenari to be burned at the stake." Nexus turned his eyes to look at her, focusing on her carefully. This was a big stretch to say the least.

"You understand the risks I'm sure. I could be right, and your faith could be wrong...but if nothing happens...I'm completely wrong. Your Goddess exists, and doesn't want you to do anything but Her magic...and I deserve to die like a heathen for blaspheming." Nexus had a quiet voice as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I'm willing to risk my life to try this...If...If I am right...I swear I'll protect you, in life or death. I want to try it though." This was very strong, and this was very dangerous. He was pretty sure she wouldn't agree. After all, their people were always right, and he was just a Heathen, sent to lead her away from the Path.

[Rhindeer]

"They wouldn't, Nexus, don't ever say something like that again," Niamh said more sharply than she had intended, folding her arms over her chest, eyes narrowed at him. She had glazed over the part where Nexus talked about that "god" of his, and about how she could blaspheme all she wanted--was he crazy?!--but she couldn't ignore the part where he actually suggested that her friends or family would kill her. That was striking just a little too far below the belt. Indeed, Nexus had struck a rather sensitive nerve.

"My family would never hurt me. I can't believe you could even suggest that. My friends, too. The law would be what would hurt me, and it would probably be my own damned fault. So much of this is already my fault...ugh...fine. I'll give you that the Lumenari would probably punish me, and they're my friends. But we all carry out the Living Sun's orders, we live by Her rules, and She's the one who formed the Lumenari. We all knew the risks. But my family...they wouldn't. They might not be able to protect me, but they wouldn't."

Right?

With an irritated huff, she leaned back heavily against the pillar that her leg was still tied off to, her heart racing for some reason and her palms a little damp. Yeah. He really had hit a sore spot, though her reaction surprised even herself. She didn't know why that upset her so much. Sure, it was always a touchy subject when your family was basically insulted, and she'd been insulted before, but...

But the truth was, she was a little scared.

She'd heard of families turning in their own before. Of mothers and fathers discovering that one of their children possessed a forbidden magic and...turning them in to be destroyed. She'd never thought much about it before, because that had, of course, never been an issue and her family loved her, and she them...

Luckily, her thoughts were momentarily redirected as Nexus began to talk about magic, and she listened in moodily, arms still tightly folded and body rigid. At first, she wanted to close her ears to what he was saying, to ignore it, because it probably wasn't even good to even listen to a heathen describing their craft and, well...she was kind of mad at him right now, instead of the usual fear or uneasiness. Niamh had been about to do just that, too, about to ignore him, but then he said something else that made her jerk in alarm. He described how it worked. Drawing from within and wthout and projecting it upon the world.

That was exactly how her magic worked. She drew upon the light, heat, or fire around her, drew upon it for energy, and then used the power that was already within her. That was how she did it. He described how it worked perfectly, and her blood went cold.

No...

She could only watch in a strange hybrid of horror and awe as he demonstrated everything for her, and she pressed back against the pillar, shaking her head. He could do all that...and he said it was the same. But it wasn't. She knew it wasn't. And darkness...that was even worse. Niamh flinched as though she was the one getting struck when he cracked the whip, and she swallowed uneasily as the room began to darken, though thankfully it soon became light again, just like that. It wasn't the same thing. He was just trying to trick her. That was all.

Her attention snapped right back over to him when he spoke of another deal, though.

And she did not like it at all. But she listened to him, absently rubbing her arms. There was no way she could agree to that...no way...

These were her thoughts for all of a few seconds. But by the time Nexus had actually finished speaking, Niamh found herself in a very precarious position, caught between a rock and a hard place. Her expression was blank, hardened in an attempt to not look as worried as she felt as she actually found herself considering Nexus' offer.

This was a huge gamble and she knew it, but if she was right and Nexus was wrong, she would be able to go free. If she wasn't...well, she wasn't going to think about the consequences of that now or she might just lose her nerve. She had faith, though, even if she also wanted to decline the challenge, and desperately so. Even humoring his kind of magic was bad, but actually agreeing to be taught it--even if it wouldn't work, and she was sure it wouldn't--was among the worst things she could imagine. Yet she couldn't refuse the offer. To back down would be to show that she was afraid and not as secure in her faith as she wanted to be, and she also didn't know what would happen if she declined. No, this was a chance to prove to him that she was right, that Mother Sun existed as a real Goddess, as the one true Goddess.

As for his comment about protecting her if he was right...she had no idea what he was talking about. The only thing she needed protection from was him.

Light...so many choices...none of them good...

She didn't know how long she was silent for, but after a long pause she looked up at Nexus and nodded once. Her voice was surprisingly firm. "Alright, Nexus. It's a deal."

[Anonymous]

"You sound so sure of yourself, and I sound so sure of myself. Hm." He didn't decide to dwell on that of course. He knew it wouldn't lead to anything good ever. He just smiled at her instead.

"The law is made up of words. The law won't hurt you. People hurt people. Words don't hurt people." He wasn't going to press that issue either, he knew he wouldn't be able to get her to change her mind after all. He did wonder though who the first leader of the Lumenari was. That is, the first person who supposedly ruled AFTER the Mother Sun disappeared and went back to the heavens.

He could tell he really hit a nerve with her though. Something he had said must have shaken her just a little bit. He was slightly proud of that actually. Slightly.

The expression that had flitted across her face as he described magic, and how he demonstrated the magic was an odd one to say the least. It looked like a horrified awe to say the least. He had seen that look many times before.

He knew that she would consider his deal. He knew that she would think on this. After all. He was a lying heathen. To her, this should have been the easiest way out.

However.

He could see that she wasn't so faithful. She had doubts. Why shouldn't she have doubts? It was interesting, like watching an eternal struggle. To turn down his offer, or to agree to it.

Oh this might be bad. He realized the ramifications if he was wrong. He would get burned at the stake by the Lumenari. Made an example of. His soul would rest in his home realm for a second...and he would exist in the flesh again...Then what?

Now he just wanted to see what was going to happen. She wasn't going to accept. Plain and simple. She was going to stay ignorant, in her little world of false ideas.

Then something happened. After the expected pause she actually responded.

She nodded.

She nodded and spoke to him.

This time Nexus couldn't help but stare at her in disbelief. She was actually...going to agree to it...

"It is?" He asked and then smiled, nodding once. It is.

"We start now." Nexus beckoned for her to step forward, the rope around her leg had extended quite a bit, gave her some very nice slack.

"Out of the sunlight. Into the darkness. You're going to create a gust of wind." He moved along to the darkness, out of the sun's rays that shone at one particular spot. He stopped where he wanted her to be, right in front of him. He pointed even to the exact spot for her to stand. This was going to be interesting.

[Rhindeer]

It was true that it was people who hurt people...and honestly, that was exactly what she was worried about.

But for now, she wasn't worried. Nah. Right now, she was actually feeling pretty good.

"It is," Niamh repeated, just as firmly as before, unable to repress a smug smile. The look he was giving her was priceless, an actual look of disbelief. From him. Hah! She could suddenly feel her level of confidence increasing as she looked up at him, arms still folded. Maybe this time she'd been the one to shake him instead of the other way around, which would be a nice change to say the least--subtle revenge of a sort. He may have been bluffing, probably didn't expect her to actually take him up on that bet, and the stakes were rather high for him, too.

That made her feel rather confident about this. Nexus had always acted so sure of himself, after all, so arrogant. Sure, she was pretty arrogant, too, and she knew it, but she had a reason to be. She knew he was wrong about this whole thing.

But she hadn't actually expected him to want to start this whole thing now.

"Wait, you mean right now?" she blurted out, blinking owlishly as he beckoned to her, voice rising a little in surprise. Oh crap! She didn't want to start now! Of course, she knew it was better to get this all over with sooner rather than later and as quickly and painlessly as possible, like removing a splinter, but she wasn't ready! Granted, she would never be ready, but still. She didn't want to!

Yet even then she could feel herself moving, shuffling reluctantly out of the small circle of light and into the shadows as Nexus pointed out the place he wanted her to stand, just vaguely able to make him out. Niamh was actually squinting a little to see him; her vision really was crappy when she was out of her element. Unfolding her arms and letting them drop down to her sides, she rolled her shoulders back uneasily. She wouldn't mention the bit about not being able to see very well for as long as it wasn't much of a problem. It was still a weakness she didn't want him to know, because that just gave him that much more power.

Time to get this over with. Time to prove she couldn't do it. That it wasn't the same thing. Just for luck, she glanced over her shoulder to the sunlight, drawing on it for strength, saying a quick prayer in her mind and asking for a little forgiveness for what she was about to dabble in. Light help her, she couldn't believe she was about to do this, but...it was the best option she had and the surest way of getting free--assuming Nexus kept his end of the bargain. Then she looked back toward where Nexus was though she wasn't really focusing on any particular place on him. She could see him still, but she couldn't really make out any details; he was very blurry and obscured to her.

"Alright, then. What do I have to do? I'm warning you now that this isn't going to work, though," she said, placing her hands on her hips, her usual pride returning.

[Anonymous]

She reaffirmed him, and he was happy about it. He was really happy about it. It was nice to see her try and fight him about it. This was good...very good. There were many thoughts running through his mind though, very scared thoughts about what if he lost...

However, she didn't expect him to want to start now. He wanted it to work now, even while her Mother Sun was out, because well...she said her energy was strong with Mother Sun out...so...

Despite her reluctance though she shuffled forward to him and stopped where he had pointed. This was good for the most part. He knew she couldn't see really well in the dark but...that was alright by him for the time being.

He stepped forward and moving around her, standing close behind her. His arms came out and rested gently on her forearm, pulling them from her hips to bring them upwards and forwards, so they were stretched out in front of her. He had to bend his knees a little bit so he could put his chin on her right shoulder gently.

"Close your eyes Niamh. Focus the world around you. Right now. Focus on the darkness, the light, on me, on yourself, on the ground, and the air. Imagine each one of these objects has a river running through him. What you're going to do is move your river out to each one of these rivers and connect to them. Then, the river is going to suck them in and absorb them." He told her calmly letting her to take the time to do this. He learnt this exact way, and visualizing always worked.

"Now...what you're going to do after that is imagine a glass of water within yourself. Take away the glass but leave the water. Just a moving blob of water turning endlessly within you. After you have a clear visualization, push it out of your body. Just push it out." The magic was smart, it would know what she wanted to do. It would handle the rest of course. It would know what she woudl want to do. He figured the most she would do is make a bit of water droplets but she would still make it.

"Try it, focus hard, make it happen. Magic is yours to use. Make it work for you."

[Rhindeer]

Niamh wasn't all that thrilled when Nexus came around and stood behind her, and her initial response was to resist when he took a hold of her arms. But then she relaxed a bit as he stretched her arms out in front of her, and forced herself to remain relaxed even when he placed his chin on her shoulder. That...bothered her. She didn't like the close contact, and it reminded her of how he'd held her after he'd finished whipping her...but, no matter, no thinking about this. If she just did what he said for now, she could prove herself right and go home. She could forget about all this, put it behind her, finally be free again; she wasn't even thinking about having Nexus burned, didn't really care, honestly, so long as she could just leave. Failure wasn't an option, not even something she was considering. Mother Sun would reveal her power, make her presence known.

Everything was finally going to be okay.

Breathing slowly and calmly, finding strength and comfort in those thoughts, Niamh listened as Nexus spoke, his voice calm and close to her ear. Her eyes closed and she started to focus, started to visualize the things he described. Somewhere in her mind, she knew she could probably find a way to fake this. She could pretend to do as he told her, pretend to concentrate hard, pretend to struggle with it...and have absolutely nothing happen. Then she could leave. She didn't think Nexus would have a way of knowing she hadn't really attempted anything...but then again he might. However, she wasn't trying to pretend. She was really trying, honestly focusing on the world around her, visualizing those little "rivers".

Part of her...part of her wanted to find out the truth for herself. That small part of her that was uncertain, that small part of her that had started to doubt, to lose faith...it wanted to know the truth. It didn't want to fake any of this. Niamh simply wanted to know everything for herself, first hand, otherwise she knew she'd probably always wonder about it, always have her doubts.

She wanted to prove herself right. And this, more than anything, frightened her. Because this also meant that she knew that, despite everything she said and wanted to feel, she could be wrong.

Niamh was shaking a little by the time Nexus started to speak again, a mixture of fear and anticipation. Please don't let it work, please don't let it work... She was praying even as she began to visualize the glass of water, her hands trembling out in front of her, but she was focusing hard, watching the glass that she had envisioned slide away, leaving only that water floating around, weightless, looking similar to the globs of water that had been floating around on the wind after Nexus had cleaned her. And then came the scary part. After she had that clear visual in her head, she had to act on it.

Goddess, so much of this was like what she did when she manipulated fire, light, or heat...the feeling was so similar, that slight tingle of warmth prickling along her skin like it usually did when she did magic. Only this time, she was trying to produce the very magic that was among the most forbidden. Light, how did she get to this point...

Please don't let it work...

She pushed outward finally, pushing the visual she saw outside of herself.

And then she felt moisture on her fingertips and her eyes snapped open. Only to see a few small droplets of water hovering there in front of her hands. Only a few small droplets, but they caught whatever meager light was available, and it was hard to miss them.

"SHIT!" Niamh wasn't normally one to curse, but a string of some very strong words left her mouth in a rush, and the water droplets splashed to the ground as she lost focus. With a jerk, she very nearly threw herself backwards and away from that water, but she couldn't because Nexus was behind her, so her back just smacked into him instead. She squeaked in surprise, then, panicked, just went to wrench away from him completely, panting. Oh Light, oh Light, oh Light...it worked...it actually worked...she didn't know what she was trying to do, but suddenly she just wanted to get away. Out of the darkness, back to the light.

Or maybe the darkness suited her better now.

[Anonymous]

He was mostly glad she relaxed when he touched her. That was probably the last thing she wanted him to do but he couldn't help it at this point. He had just as much riding this as she did. Of course, she only had her Goddess riding on it...He had his life...and a return to a place that would surely drive him to true insanity.

Things were going...to be very bad.

She did finally seem to start focusing, at least her eyes closed at that point. He could tell if she wasn't trying. He told her to draw in power from everywhere. From himself as well. He could feel it however. He could slowly feel something. Like he was being drained of his life. This was good. She was actually doing it. That meant she wanted to try.

Nexus didn't care if he was right, or if she was right. Nexus just cared about showing her, and teaching her. He wanted to at least know that he had tried at this point, made an effort.

He had waited, his eyes searching for the water to appear. He strained to look for them in front of her. Gods, this was scary. It was like waiting for the axe to fall or for the gallows's trap door to open. Even if she failed and just took her freedom and left...he wouldn't. He would tie himself up and throw himself into the nearest Lumenari camp. They would know him. They would kill him. He had made a deal.

He had pretty much stopped breathing at this point. Right now it was all about looking for that water. Then...then he saw something. In front of Niamh, he could see it. Water. Some droplets had appeared, even on her fingers as well. That wasn't him. His magic had to be done through ropes and the like. Also, the droplets were floating. That showed it couldn't be him.

Of course, he didn't except the loud curse word to leave her mouth, and the several others that followed suit quickly. Then she followed suit by throwing herself backwards into him, knocking a bit of the wind from him with an 'Oof!'

She was panicking, and why shouldn't she? She had just proved herself completely wrong. Nexus though...He knew what he had done. He had taken her from that world of hers, and put her into a strange new one. Gods. What had he done? This was probably one of the worst things he could have done. This wasn't a trick. This was all real. He had just shaken someone's faith. Lord. He wished he could go back. This was wrong.

So very wrong.

To believe in something all your life, to think it was so true...that you would kill, you would torture, you would separate families, and you would 'educate' the heathens about it. All of this...useless. Untrue. The words you spoke were but lies. Lies you told yourself, lies you told them, lies told to make you believe. Gods. He couldn't fathom how Niamh would take this...how she might react to it. Denial no doubt. After all, he was a Heathen, and was only out to convert her.

He watched Niamh as she headed, struggled back toward the light, to get away from him, to get away from the darkness.

"You did it."

[Rhindeer]

To say she was panicked was an understatement, only it wasn't because she felt she had lost her Goddess. No, she still believed in Her. How could she not? It had been only a few years ago when Mother Sun had descended to Earth in the flesh, just as the prophecies had predicted. The Living Sun. Niamh remembered when it happened, even though she'd been a couple years younger. No, she'd never seen it, never seen the Goddess made flesh with her own eyes--she lived too far from the capital. But the Living Sun still ruled in Solis to this day.

All this proved to Niamh was that...that she was damned. That she was one of those unlucky Solisi to possess this kind of power. A power she didn't even <I>want. And why? She had always been faithful, always believed...Light, she'd joined the Lumenari to do Her will! Everyone always praised her for her complexion, for how she was the picture of what a Solisi should look like. And there she'd just conjured the most forbidden of magicks, something that would instantly condemn her if anyone found out.

Niamh felt like she was in a daze by the time she made it back into that small circle of light, dropping to the ground near the pillar and resting her back against it, her knees drawn up to her chest and arms hugging her body, huddling and trying hard to calm down. But this time, though the light warmed her body, it was no longer a comfort. She didn't feel like it was right for her to be there, to be in the sunlight when she was now tainted. What had she done...oh Goddess...she shouldn't have done that, shouldn't have tried...but her curiosity had won her over, her need to know had driven her over the edge this time. She was tainted. Maybe this was her punishment for doubting. For dabbling in something that she knew better than to touch. For being tempted, for letting a heathen challenge her faith. She was being punished. She'd done the unforgiveable.

She couldn't go back to Solis now. Never. She couldn't see anyone ever again, not her family, not the Lumenari, no one. They'd kill her, and rightfully so. They'd know. She didn't know how, but someone would find out. The Living Sun probably already knew. Light, she couldn't believe she'd done that.

A violent shudder racked her when Nexus spoke up, only reaffirming what she already knew and dreaded, and she pressed her hands to her face and grit her teeth. He didn't need to say it. She knew it. She actually did it. Just as he wagered she would. And then, somewhere beneath all that fear and self-hatred, anger peaked within her so suddenly it surprised even herself.

Niamh pulled her hands away from her face and glared off into the darkness blindly, though there were tears in her eyes and she was still shaking. So was her voice, which was also choked despite how she tried to control it. "You don't think I know that?!" she shouted at him, and then she groaned and buried her face in her arms, which were resting atop her knees. "You made me do it. You did this do me. Light, I hope you're happy now...you got what you wanted...you were right...fuck, I hope you're happy..."

[Anonymous]

Whatever went through her mind, Nexus could relate to. The same thing had gone through his mind when the Goddess came to him and told him about how this was all meant to be. How his life was supposed to have been like this so he could do his job like he had always done... Nexus was pretty sure that all sorts of thoughts of despair were running through her mind.

Nexus watched as she moved to the light and huddled against the pillar. What was she tinking about? Would she want to kill him? After all...he had done this technically. He had pushed her to this. He had issued the challenge of her faith against his ideas...and his ideas had won.

He didn't expect her to shudder so when he spoke, but those words probably weren't ones she wanted to hear. No doubt she wished he had said 'Oh sorry, that was me. Try again!' but no...He hadn't done a thing but guide her, give her the tools to do this all.

Slowly he stepped forward...and he could hear her. He could hear her shouting, and the tone of her voice. It told him everything. Was he...happy?

"Am I...happy? Am I happy..." His voice trailed off as he stepped into the light, his eyes watching her.

"I'm happy that you did it. I'm happy that you were able to make the magic work. Am I happy that I've just ruined you? That I've basically made you do something that makes you a Heathen in the eyes of the people you love and cherish? Happy that I've shaken your faith, and made you doubt everything you do? No. No I'm not happy Niamh." He told her with a shake of his head. His voice was oddly calm, as he had to stay that way, to ensure none of his true feelings, like sadness, escaped at this point.

"I wish it were different Niamh. I wish it hadn't worked. I wish right now you were free and I was in manacles being dragged to the nearest Lumenari camp. I truly wish that. It's not that way though. It's different. You're...well you're free Niamh. You told me you didn't like what happened to people, the torture, the burning, the suffering that was inflicted. You're free from all that. Gods Niamh I wish I were you. You at least can be freed." Slowly Nexus sunk himself to his knees in front of her, staring level with her.

"I don't care what you think of me Niamh. I don't care if you think I'm a filthy heathen. All I care about is that I tried to help you. That I tried to show you a different path. One that doesn't require you to listen to people telling you to kill, to torture, to destroy, all in the name of someone else's will." He told her as he stayed where he was, watching her. He had removed from somewhere a small silk handkerchief with his initials on it, handing the clean garment over to her in case she wanted to wipe her tears.

"Whatever you decide to do Niamh...well...It's all your choice. Not Mother Sun, not the head of the Lumenari, not mine, not your families either. This is your choice. This is your life. Weave fate for yourself." He slowly stood up, turning his back to her. He should probably release her now. Though he didn't want to, he knew he would have to soon. In...three days time maybe? Yeah. Just until he knew she was alright. He told her he would follow her though. He would stalk her. He would be there in the shadows.

Ugh. Why! Why was he doing all this?! What torture was he being put through now?! This had to be the work of his Goddess. He had done something very wrong no doubt, and now as new emotions and thoughts filled his mind...he was being punished.

"Kill me..." His voice was soft as a whisper as he slowly looked downwards to the ground. Ugh. If only dying was simple.

[Rhindeer]

Nexus' answer surprised her a little...but it didn't make her feel much better. He wasn't happy about it? He wasn't happy about winning? How could he not be happy? He'd won. Plain and simple. He was right. Still Niamh listened as she spoke, shaking her head miserably as she kept her face buried in her arms, gritting her teeth as he said that she was free. But she wasn't free. She was still tied up, but even if she were cut free, she still wouldn't be free. Goddess. He didn't know what he'd done. She barely looked up when she heard him draw closer, only peeked her eyes out and roughly snatched up the handkerchief as he offered it. She pressed it to her eyes and hunched her shoulders, shivering and withdrawing further into herself.

She couldn't believe it...it was his fault...it was her fault...Goddess, what had she done...? That anger only built when she just barely caught his whispered words, the warehouse quiet and secluded enough for sound to carry. He couldn't honestly feel bad. He'd done this to her. He'd...he'd...

"Freed me? Is that what this was all about? All of this? The whipping? The threatening? This? It was all a test, all to free me, to make me see the 'error of my ways'?" Niamh snapped, raising her head up off her arms. Suddenly, just like that, everything made sense to her. Everything Nexus had done. His questions, his actions...now she thought she knew why he'd done it all. It was all a lesson. He had said it himself. He had tried to show her a different path. Tried to help her. That was what this was all about?! Everything he'd done...just a lesson...

Tears were rolling down her cheeks, and she pressed the silk garment to her eyes, drying them, but she wasn't really crying like before, not sobbing or anything. Apart from her words, her misery was silent. "You didn't <I>free me! You condemned me! You don't understand...you don't understand any of this!"

Then, just as suddenly as it had flared, her rage died down a little as another thought struck her. "...And neither do I."

She lowered the handkerchief from her face, finally, but she was also looking away, her head turned to the side, now and then swiping irritably at her eyes. "I...I don't know...I just don't know...I don't understand any of this anymore. I...when you hurt me, it...it made me think of what we did to heathens...and now...Light. I've heard of families being torn apart because of what I just did, turning in their own children to the law. I never thought anything of it. But now...oh hell, Nexus...I've been faithful all my life. I've studied the writings. I've prayed. I considered devoting myself to the temple! I joined the damned Lumenari, if that's all any indication of my conviction! I did this all for Her. And for myself. But I was faithful...I still am, even though now they'd say I walk beneath the moon! Now...hah...look what I just did. I'm little better than you, now. I'm tainted.  It doesn't matter what I've done or haven't done, none of it matters anymore. I did something that can't be forgiven. I'm one of the unlucky ones. All those people...they were probably just like me. They probably didn't even want it. Just like me. I never thought of that before...they were evil. But now I know it wasn't their fault...they..." She drew a shakey breath, pausing to get a hold of herself. "How the <I>HELL does that happen?"

She couldn't understand it, why Mother Sun would make some people be born with this curse, only to die for it, even though it wasn't their fault, even though they were just as faithful as anyone else. That was what she thought, too, that she was just tainted. She didn't understand that Nexus meant anyone could do what he had just done--she just thought he meant her specifically, that he had been able to see that power in her since he also possessed it. And if he told her that anyone could do it, she probably wouldn't have believed him, anyway. To her people, displaying any such abilities simply meant you were tainted, and that was that.

"I wish you'd left me alone...I didn't want to know this...I wish I didn't know this. But...I don't know. Now that I know, now that I know what other people like me have gone through...I don't know! I don't know whether I want to know it or not. I can't go back, though. You lied to me. You said I'd get to see my friends and family again. You said you wouldn't kill me. You have, though. I can't go back unless I want to be killed. Everyone will probably be worried that I'm dead now...and if I go back, then they'll get to see me die. I can't hide it. The Living Sun will know. Do you understand? The Living Sun rules Solis! She is <I>real! She descended two years ago, and She rules still. I..." Finally, her deluge of panicked words began to slow, and she slumped back against the pillar, leaning her head back against it and closing her eyes tightly, mentally exhausted. Her head was starting to hurt and she knew she probably wasn't making any sense.

No matter, nothing made sense anyway.

"I don't know what to think anymore...I don't know what to do...I don't...Light, I don't even know whether to hate you or thank you...I don't know anything anymore..." she said, voice barely above a whisper as she once again buried her face in her arms, hiding. Her entire world had indeed been abruptly flipped upside down and she was horribly disoriented and more afraid than ever before. At least when Nexus had terrorized her, she'd had her faith to draw strength from, to get her through it. Not even that had been as terrifying as what she faced now. Nothing was more horrible than having your entire perception of reality, to have everything you held dear, to have all of that suddenly wrenched away from you.

The very faith she had devoted her life to, the very same beliefs that had strengthened her, supported her, held her together in times of greatest need, the very same faith she loved and still honestly believed...it was the very same faith that would now persecute her. There was no fate worse than that.

[Anonymous]

"A GODDESS WOULD FORGIVE HER CHILDREN FOR SINNING!" Nexus whirled upon her, looking at her, his eyes flaring to life as he held a flaming whip in his right hand.

"Don't you understand? DOn't you see?! A true Goddess doesn't NEED believers, doesn't NEED followers and worshippers! A true Goddess has infinite power and has no need for you people to spread the word. MAN needs you to believe in him. MAN needs you to worship him. Does this make any sense to you? An all powerful being who created the universe, created it before Man was ever created. Existed for so long before man came to be. Yet your Goddess existed." He was tired of how she saw this Goddess as a Goddess, and not as trickery. It was angering him, and he had done so well keeping his rage in check at this point.

"I'm trying to free you, show you, open your eyes to the world around you! You don't seem to understand it. Everyone can do magic if they are taught it. Your people are ignorant little savages! Do you see what happens when you worship with the sun? You slaughter ever denisen that lives in the dark, because they oppose your Light." He discarded the whip behind him, knowing he really didn't want that out, because he might hurt her with it.

"Gods I wish I hadn't chased you. My life would be so much easier if I hadn't done all this." Nexus muttered angrily to himself as he looked from her, to the ropes hanging around. He dispelled them, the blanket as well he had conjured for her.

"You're in the darkness now. Free yourself. Harness the powers of the darkness and free yourself. Please. Show me that you can do it. Show me that you can be strong without the sunlight. Show me that you're not ruled by the word of Man." Nexus stood there, in the darkness, his eyes always upon herk, watching her very carefully. Only a faint light from under the door was there, but he had taught her much better. He had taught her to harvest energy from everywhere after all.

"Do it now! Free yourself! Show me that you are stronger!" Maybe this was all part of her ploy...maybe it wasn't? He stepped away from her, he expected there to be a lot of fire, and a lot of anger from her.

"Or are you as weak as I once thought you were?"

[Rhindeer]

Well, that was one way to snap someone out of their moment of self pity!

Her head jerked up so abruptly that she nearly smacked it against the pillar she was backed against, the sudden change in Nexus taking her completely off guard--though it also told her that he was through with being "nice". That was enough to get her to move. But this time Niamh didn't freeze up. She was partially free, Nexus had a whip in his hand, and this time she wasn't just going to stand there and take it if he planned on using it on her. With a gasp, she lunged to her feet and slipped quickly around to the other side of the pillar, placing it between herself and Nexus and peering around it cautiously. But even then she could feel that familiar anger returning...and she was so mad at him. For everything. Forgive her for sinning? Not when Her children knew the rules and the consequences in advance! Though...though what of those who couldn't help it?

Never mind that! Just what was Nexus suggesting?!

"Are you calling the Living Sun a mortal?" Niamh demanded, pressed against the pillar and ready to move if she needed to. But for the moment she wasn't afraid, though it helped that he had discarded the whip. She'd lost everything. What more did she have to lose? "That's stupid! She's fulfilled all the prophecies. She was tested by the highest of priests and priestesses. She's done everything the prophecies said She would, things no human could possibly do, even recently! Our country was no more than a speck in the sand and once She came, She lead us to power--we've already conquered some nations around Solis, places that could once dwarf us! No human could pull that off. It was just as the prophecies said!" She couldn't believe he'd even suggested that...but he was a heathen. He didn't know better. He didn't know their ways. He didn't know what he was saying!

"Maybe your 'gods' are different. But here, She is the Light on Earth, sent to save it! That's what She needs the Lumenari for, to spread Her influence--" Suddenly she cut off.

Wait.

She was a Goddess. If She had infinite powers like Nexus said, like the Solisi believed...couldn't She just spread the word Herself? Why would She need the Lumenari to do it for Her? No...that was just because She was in mortal form! If She was in mortal form, of course She couldn't do that but...but...this was starting to not make any sense, suddenly. Or maybe it was starting to make sense. Niamh hadn't really been listening to Nexus, only vaguely, her ears closing to him in her anger. But suddenly it hit her, if a little too late. She was basically saying exactly what Nexus was refuting.

...Why would a Goddess need mortals to do Her work for Her? And...and maybe Nexus had a point...if She had infinite power...couldn't She just right the world on Her own? Why would She need them to kill and draw blood on Her own children? She'd created everything. Why would she place Her own children at war with themselves? Why would some people have that power and be persecuted for it if She was the one who created them, who gave it to them?

It...it made Her sound rather sadistic, and...She was a loving Goddess. That made no sense...and for the first time, Niamh was starting to see it.

But she wasn't done being angry. Nexus stirred that pot once more, and Niamh wasn't quite ready to accept what he had said. it was too much to think about. Too scary. Too complicated. Even if she was considered forsaken by her faith, it had been her pillar for so long. It was irrational. It was stupid. But she couldn't let go of it like that, not something that had been such a central part of her entire life. She was fighting it, and yet she was losing.

"My life would have been easier, too, so I guess we're even!" Niamh yelled back at him, still pressed against that pillar and watching him intently. And then came the darkness. The vines vanished, even the blanket vanished, and darkness enveloped her.

With a groan, she practically clung to the pillar as though needing something substantial to hold onto so she didn't get swallowed up, eyes wide but unseeing, unable to see even the object she was holding onto. Her breath caught in her throat, but she steeled herself, channeling that anger as best as she could. Nexus was speaking from somewhere, and she clenched her jaw. The "please" that he had thrown in there was strange, but she had no time to think about it. She was trying her best not to freak out, blind as she was--and she was also working quickly to do as he said. To dispell the damned darkness.

There was really only one way she knew to do that.

"Dammit, just shut up!" she snapped back at his final challenge, already desperately visualizing those rivers, visualizing them in everything around her, in her, in the darkness, in the air, in Nexus...everything. Light, she needed light...not even she was brave enough to touch darkness now, she was still too shook up about using water magic, and at least she had more experience with light. She had no idea how to use the dark to dispell the dark, but right now she was pretty confident that, with her prior experience with using fire and light and with the new technique he had taught her, she could do this.

Light suddenly flared into existence then, incircling the immediete area around her, and Niamh struggled to hold onto her visual, to keep her focus, though the light flickered uncertainly as though threatening to go out, her concentration wavering. She was still holding on tightly to the pillar, breathing heavily--though she didn't look afraid now. If anything, she just looked pissed. "There."

[Anonymous]

Nexus was very proud of himself actually. He had managed to stir her from feeling bad about herself, and managed to get her to start thinking straight for once. He knew his words had rung true with her. They made perfect sense after all. More so after he said the thing about infinite power. It was true, just as it were with his Gods...they were immortal, they were all powerful, and they could just fix things on Earth. However, They didn't. They didn't come down and raise armies, save for maybe Terrin.

"That exactly what I'm saying. An all powerful Goddess has no rules, no limitations, and no need for worshippers. Mortals however need people to worship them. " It made perfect sense. A Goddess who was powerful enough to create an entire universe, which was infinite and endless as far as he knew, did not need simple primates living on a piece of rock to worship her.

"If your Goddess created the Universe, created this world...then tell me...Why is she killing her own children? Why is she pitting Human against Drow? Light versus Dark? If she created Drow and Humans, then why does shes want the Drow dead? That would mean she made a mistake, and as an all powerful, all knowledgeable being...she made a mistake...and as we know...that doesn't happen." Nexus was proud of himself for bringing this all together. He had dealt with people claiming to be a God before, and despite being only to change a few minds, he had still changed them.

In truth...Nexus enjoyed this. He enjoyed being with Niamh, despite her little....ways of being rather....snooty. They were on par with each other really. Each one of them had certain aspects that were...interesting really. Nexus admired her really,  she had some dedication to her cause, and was stubborn like he was. He really was glad to have...ran into her so to speak.

He knew she was scared of the dark, he was counting on that to fuel her fire to speak. He was waiting for her to do something, and finally the fire and light came. He wasn't smiling though. He wanted her to move away from fire and light.

"No. Not there." It was a black whip, one that cracked loudly and struck her light, dimming it. Each time he hit the light, it dimmed just a little more.

"Focus on the Darkness. Focus on the power that the darkness has, all around you. Draw in from only the darkness. Then, change it. Change the darkness to become light." He told her as he dispelled his whip, standing int he darkness. He knew she could do it too, and he was going to keep pressing her until she did it. She couldn't possibly be tired after all...He...forgot one of the core rules. How to draw the energy in to keep with you.

"This time though, when you draw from the darkness, leave some of the magic within you. Don't move all the magic out of you."

[Rhindeer]

It was such a strange feeling. Niamh still wanted to believe. Maybe it was sick and masochistic in a way, to want to remain loyal to a faith that had abandoned her, but it was all she knew. Everything in her life had been shaped around it. Her morals, how she viewed the world, how she viewed other people...and even if she lost her faith, those morals and ideas would still remain, they would be hard to change because they were just so ingrained into her very being. And yet, still, the only thing being challenged now, the only belief being stripped away, was that the Living Sun was really walking the Earth now, that the person who rules Solis might not be who she claimed she was. That she was powerful was undeniable--but whether she was really Mother Sun in the flesh...what Nexus said was making Niamh begin to have her doubts.

Mother Sun, however...Mother Sun was real. Just...

Maybe She wasn't what everyone thought She was. Maybe people had gotten Her all wrong. After all, if even darkness was Her creation, and if it was light that cast shadows...what Nexus said made sense. Yet there was still the fact that darkness did hurt Solisi. It made them blind, weak, cold, lethargic, even if the actual temperature was comfortable. There was no denying that. There was no denying that they drew their strength from light, heat, and fire, either. Solisi were meant to walk beneath the Sun, but if Mother Sun had also created the darkness...maybe that just meant other creatures were meant to walk beneath that, too.

She couldn't have made a mistake...that would make her as flawed as any mortal...

Which meant either She didn't exist. Or humans had just gotten her terribly wrong.

It had to be the latter. There was no mistaking Mother Sun's existence.

Niamh was frozen, only nodding slowly, her eyes rather large as it all came together in her head, her world changing all around her at a very rapid pace. It was disorienting. Everything felt like it was going crazy. But there was one issue that Nexus hit upon that confused her, her anger dulling as she absorbed all the new information and focused on keeping that circle of light strong and bright.

"...But...Nexus...if Goddesses don't need people to worship them...why do you worship your 'goddess'? Why does she have you do her work?" It was a weak attempt at challenging him and she knew it. But she still had to try, had to understand all this, and she was fighting tooth and nail to preserve what she knew. Even if she was failing.

But then Nexus had another whip, and it cracked against the light near her, making her jump and clench her teeth together so as not to yelp. He didn't look pleased, and the light was growing dimmer each time he cracked the whip, much to her horror. "What are you doing?!" Frustration welled up inside her, and anxiety as she was once again surrounded by black, and with a loud huff of irritation, she began to draw upon the light, ready to once again engulf herself with that comforting light--but she stopped that effort when he spoke again.

...He wanted her to draw upon the darkness itself. Of course.

"Augh! I can't do that, Nexus!" she said, voice strained. She wanted badly to get out of the dark, nervous as it made her, but she didn't want to do it the way he wanted her to. It would probably hurt her. "You know how darkness effects me! I can't do this." For now, the issue of just how deep of a hole she was digging herself by practicing these forbidden magicks...well...that wasn't an issue right now. As soon as she'd cast water magic, she was already an outlaw to her people. Already ruined. She couldn't taint herself anymore, so what would it matter at this point?

Yet in the darkness, with the fear and claustrophobia and uncertainty building...that was a pretty good motivator at this point, and she still feared not cooperating. Nexus had gotten so angry just moments before; she'd actually thought he might hit her. She didn't want to piss him off again; she wasn't stupid.

Before she knew it, her heart thundering in her chest, she was trying it, though, honestly trying, but while water was one thing, darkness was another. Her body was tense and shivering as she concentrated, just wanting to get it over with, just wanting to prove her point and all the while knowing she was crossing a line over which she could never return. But hadn't she already damned herself? Once damned, you couldn't really do any worse, and panic and stress drove her to act without thinking.

And it was also something of a matter of pride, to show she wasn't weak. She would not be called weak.

But try as she might, and much to her relief, she could not actually harness it...

Though she could fake it.

The darkness around her began to dissipate as she called upon her affinity for light and heat and fire, light flooding in to drive away the darkness around her even while fear and nerves made her blood go cold. What if he noticed? She shivered at the thought but held onto that light.

"...Is...is this good enough...?" she muttered through slightly chattering teeth, her eyes now open to monitor her progress, a strange light surrounding her, blotted with darkness here and there. Her gift never had been as strong or perfect as others in her group. "I'm freezing, thanks..."

[Anonymous]

Nexus wanted her to be free. She was his friend technically, and he didn't let his friend do this. No. Niamh had been, and still was pretty innocent. She didn't deserve this sort of thing. So he was going to correct it without going after Mother Sun herself and calling the woman out. He had no idea bout the tests she might have gone through at this point.

"You misunderstand. Worshipping someone is where you have free will. I serve her. I serve her like a slave serves a King. I was born to serve, born to be a slave and a master." He told her with a shake of his head. Feris didn't want him to worship her, no, she wanted him to serve her.

"You see, Feris isn't like as you describe Mother Sun. Arkhanan is the creator of my Realm. Then came Vec. Then came the Eight lesser Gods and Goddesses. She simply rules over Justice and Order. Not the entire world. It seems complicated but...it really isn't. She isn't the Creator of the world." It was just that simple. While she was all powerful, there were things that were much stronger than Feris, in retrospect. For instance, the being who created her, and the being who created her creator. It was all how things could be looked at.

"You CAN do it. YOu have to trust me!" He really wasn't sure if she actually could, as her people had some interesting abilities. Though...slowly he could tell she was going to do it. She was going to change the darkness. If she could do that, she would have nothing to fear ever again after all.

Ah. There it was. He could feel it now. He could feel the darkness being stolen, being taken away and sucked into Niamh. Oh this was a good sign. Would she use that though? Would she try it or just give up? He was actually excited about this.

Then...light began to filter around the darkness, just appearing here and there. He was glad to see the light for once. It meant she had succeeded. He had just taught her how to fight the Darkness, whether she actually realized that or not.

"Yes...Yes Niamh. It is." He had that blanket in his hands as he came near her suddenly, wrapping the golden material around her. Behind him however, the vines began to reappear. However, after the blanket was around her and the light began to shine again from the vines, he slumped to his knees. Too much. He had used too much.

"Ergh..." Slowly he looked up to her, grinning weakly at her.

"Regain your strength...you did me proud...I'll...let you go soon enough." After he got his strength as well. He felt...odd...being here, kneeling in front of her. Just a few moments ago he had called her weak and now...well here he was slumped upon the ground. Ugh. If she wanted to do away with him at this point, it wouldn't take that much.

[Rhindeer]

With a sigh of relief, Niamh quickly released her hold on the magic even as Nexus placed the warm blanket around her, even as the sunlight began to flood the room once more. Whew...it was good that that was enough, because Niamh was stubborn enough to keep it up. There was little that she hated more than being called weak or being told that she couldn't do something, and it was a pretty good motivator, too! As for what Nexus had taught her, though, the lesson likely wouldn't sink in for a while longer. Right now, she was just all frozen and...more than a little irritated. She couldn't believe Nexus had made her do that. Not to mention her mind was occupied with so many different questions and answers.

It was all rather overwhelming. Her entire life had suddenly just changed in the course of barely two days, and whatever her thoughts on the matter, only one thing was certain: there was no going back to the way things once were. Everything made perfect sense, even down to Nexus' explanation on the differences between deities and the difference between worship and servitude. So far, he hadn't been unable to answer a single question logically and in a way that, well...rang true to her own experiences.

Ugh...

Pulling the blanket more tightly around her shoulders, still shivering though it was no longer like she'd just come out of a snowstorm, she turned, leaned back against the pillar, and was about to slide down it and sit but...that was when Nexus abruptly slumped to the ground.

Niamh stared down at him as he spoke, as he said he would be letting her go soon, as he looked so suddenly weak--and that had to be the first time she'd seen him weak. Oh, he had looked tired after creating that whole lighting system for her, but not actually helpless. He'd still been able to stand. But now it seemed as though his legs had just given out.

He would release her soon...

Heh. Yeah. How soon was "soon" for him? She'd lost their bet. Which meant he intended on keeping her for three days longer, and if there were any more bets, who knew how many days he'd rack up if she lost? Hell...who knew if he was even being honest? He might never let her go. He might snap again. There were way too many unknown variables, but what was for certain was that he was weak and unable to stand, and she was cold, slowly warming up, but still strong and standing. The thought did flash through her mind, that this could very well be her one and only chance to make a move, and that it would be easy to do, too. She didn't have any weapons on her, but she did have her arms and legs--and a rope. He had made the rope around her leg longer. It wouldn't take much; she knew how to grapple with an opponent. And then afterwards it would just be a matter of getting to his satchel, of cutting herself free, of getting out of the warehouse, and...

And then what? Where would she go from there? She'd be free, sure, but...but what? She couldn't go back home. She couldn't go back among her people. And she sure as hell didn't know the first thing about living out here.

She was going to regret this and she knew it...

It felt like she was staring at him for hours, weighing her options, but in truth only a couple of seconds passed. With a slow nod, she pressed her back against the pillar and slid down it until she was sitting beside him, legs drawn up so she could cover them with the blanket, too. The material of her gray breeches was thick, but the blanket emitted warmth.

"Heh...I'm way ahead of you, Nexus," she said quietly, not looking at him for a moment. But then she glanced over at him out of the corners of her eyes and frowned a bit. "Um...are you okay? What happened just then?"

Even as she spoke, she was reaching around behind her, feeling along the base of the pillar, until she found the wineskin, the one with the Moonberry juice in it. Pulling it around to her, she popped the cork, tilted her head back, and took a long swallow, nearly draining it.

Light knew she'd need it, because she couldn't believe the decision she'd just made. She must be going crazy.